


The Trial of the Lost Girdle

by Justghostingby



Category: Room of Swords (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Comedy of Errors, Handmaiden Sylvia, Multi, Sorcerer and Kings Champion Gyrus, Tori doesn't change, king Don, knight everyone else, trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justghostingby/pseuds/Justghostingby
Summary: When the lost token of the visiting Queen's Champion suddenly turns up in Kodya’s possession, a trial is called. But nothing is as it seems, and several members of the court must stand up to state their case. All will be revealed in the trial of the century!
Relationships: Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic, Tori Grieve & Tori's Queen, one-sided Anan/Slyvia, one-sided Oli/Slyvia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	1. Part One: An Unusual Suspect

Queen Mary of the kingdom of the Amethyst Eye would never admit it, but she found her stay in the kingdom of Swords rather dull. Not that she didn’t greatly appreciate the alliance that King Don and his forces offered. Oh no. If asked she would, of course, sing the praises of the peace agreement she was here to sign. But deep in her mind, as one of King Don’s advisors gave yet another long, waxing speech about the importance of unity in these troubled times, she couldn’t help but wish she was back in her own courtyard sparing with Tori. 

She let out a gentle sigh as the man began to talk about how dangerous unrest could be among the central kingdoms. It was almost impossible to detect, she had long since mastered the art of the silent sigh, but King Don shifted at her side to regard her out of the corner of his eye. He sent her sympathetic smile. 

Well, at least she was not the only one suffering. King Don was as always, a charming and gracious host. He was the kind of man who people flocked to. By all means he was the definition of a humble, beloved king. It was hard to believe he had negotiated the very alliance they were here to swear to, at the humble age of 22 no less. Truly it was an accomplishment worthy of respect. And yet…she glanced over at the man to catch the sharp gleam in his eye…and yet something had always seemed off to her, beneath all that charm and skill. 

But then again, she thought as she allowed herself the slightest tilt of her head. She was biased because he had stolen such a promising young sorcerer and astronomer from her own country. She had never understood what had convinced Gyrus that this kingdom was a better place to settle down in than his own. But he was his own man, and she supposed there was little she could do to stop him.

Or at least, there was little she could do to stop him thanks to the treaty King Don had, oh so skillfully, negotiated. She tried her best not to frown. He’d practically been a requirement in all but name. She wondered if Gyrus had realized that.

A commotion outside broke her from her thoughts. A girl pushed through, easily knocking the guards out of her way despite their attempts to keep her back. Queen Mary rose to her feet, recognizing her own handmaiden. A single raise of her hand stopped the guards in their tracks. 

Sylvia paid them no mind. ‘Stop Them!’ she signed. ‘Tori and Gyrus have gone crazy!’

Queen Mary nodded and began to hurry towards the exit. Don appeared beside her. “Queen Mary! What is going on?”

“My Champion and your Champion are fighting,” Queen Mary replied as she attempted to glide both gracefully and quickly towards the door. “I am going to stop them before someone gets hurt.”

The courtyard was a mess, barely recognizable as a courtyard at all. What once had been a knight’s training ground was now a charred crater. Knights, squires, and servants ran in all different directions, some to hide and some to help. In the center of the crater were three figures: a young knight in blue half-sitting on the ground as if he’d been pushed; a figure in black and yellow standing over him, arms spread out and reaching towards the figure standing on the other side; and the figure he was reached for, standing with fiery sword raised. Her own champion Tori.

“Tori wait!” Gyrus pleaded. But Tori seemed not to care, fire leaping off the sword as she raised it towards the sky with a guttural scream. Gyrus in turn raised his own shield of glowing green. The figure on the ground didn’t move, seemingly stunned.

“What is the meaning of this?” Queen Mary asked as she strode forward towards the crater. It spoke to the skill of her Champion, that Tori was able to stop her attack instantly and turn in perfect form to salute. Gyrus cautiously lowered his own shield.

“My Queen!” Tori exclaimed as Queen Mary reached her. “I can explain!”

“You had better start.” Queen Mary glanced towards Gyrus. “The both of you. Because from where I stand, you are violating the very treaty we are here to uphold!

Both Tori and Gyrus flinched. Queen Marry felt a pang of pride that her stern tone still made Gyrus listen after all these years. She squashed the unnecessary thought. 

“My Queen,” Tori started, then drew herself up to her full hight. “That man has insulted your honor by stealing the token of the Queen’s Champion you entrusted to me!” She pointed at the figure in blue crouched behind Gyrus. Queen Mary followed her gaze and sure enough, he did appear to be wearing a blue sash that could be mistaken for her girdle. But how?

“Kodya mi amigo, what have you done?” King Don called from the side of the crater, face painted the exact mix of shock and dismay that a ruler's expression should contain in a situation so politically unstable as this. The knight called Kodya looked down.

“He didn’t know what it was!” Gyrus responded heatedly. “This is all a misunderstanding…if you’d just let me…”

“This has nothing to do with you!” Tori snapped back. “Stop interfering!”

“Tori!” The Queen’s voice was sharp. Tori instantly quieted. The Queen turned to Gyrus. “My Champion is right. This isn’t your fight. This is a matter for the justice system we have all worked so hard to enforce. Or do you not believe in your own rules?” She raised her eyebrow as she turned her face just so, to make sure both Gyrus and Don felt the brow’s weight. 

“Of course,” King Don’s voice was soothing. He gave a half bow. “We will not rest until we have rectified such a grievous crime.” His eyes flicked to the men in the crater, face dark.

Gyrus stepped forward. “Then I’ll testify as a witness in his defense. I’ve a part to play in this story as well.”

“Indeed.” Queen Mary inclined her head. “But first we must hear from both sides of this event, not those who decided to jump in the middle.” Gyrus looked down, hands clenched at his side. Tori sent him a triumphant smile. 

Queen Mary turned to King Don. “I trust this castle has a courtroom? We will need it.” So saying, she turned to lead the way back into the castle, her dress swishing elegantly behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh this was fun to write. This was mostly set up. For those of you who don't know, a girdle was a piece of cloth worn in the middle ages, which was a bit like a cloth belt. Basically, its an old-fashioned term for sash. Well...It's a bit more complicated than that, but none of that matters for this story. Also a token was a gift given to a knight, usually a girdle or a ring or something small, by a lady who favored him and wanted him to fight for her. It usually had romantic undercurrents, but could also be simply a symbol of a knights affiliation to a woman of power. Either way, to steal one from another knight is a major breach of Chivalry. Basically Tori's got a reason to be this upset.


	2. Part Two: The Accuser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori steps up to the podium to give her testimony.

The courtroom was a large, open space. In the center on a raised platform stood a podium for one person to stand. To the left a high dais contained two ornate chairs, clearly designed for a king and queen. To the right was a low standing wall that provided a separate location for witnesses and the accused to stand as they waited their turn. Queen Mary's eyes lingered on the two chairs, and hid a frown at how one was slightly lower and slightly less ornate than the other. It was clearly meant for the kingdom’s queen, who in Swords would hold a lesser status than her husband. 

For a brief second she considered sitting in the more ornate chair, simply to remind King Don and all present that she was by no means a lesser ruler simply because of her gender. But she refrained. She was a guest in this country after all. It was not her place to make a statement. At least King Don was unmarried, Queen Mary sighed to herself as she sat down. She would feel bad if she displaced the unfortunate woman. King Don stepped up to the higher chair, face completely neutral as he watched the people file into the court.

Gyrus led the blue knight behind the low standing wall to wait their turn. Tori strode forward to the podium, her back straight and tense. She fiddled with the handle of her sword, a quirk Queen Mary knew meant she was very impatient. Everyone else filed in until there was standing room only left. 

King Don raised a hand. “We are hear to begin the trial of the Queen’s Girdle. Who will mediate?”

There was a murmur among the crowd. Quite a few eyes flicked to Gyrus, and then back. A bald man seemed about to step forward with a strange symbol on his forehead of interlocking circles and squares. But before he could move Queen Mary spoke up, “If it pleases the jury, I can provide a mediator free of all bias who will ensure all witnesses are truthful.” She allowed her eyes to linger a second too long on Gyrus. He stood with arms crossed, back straight and defiant. Interesting. He must have a lot of faith in the man beside him, or else in the man's ability to lie. 

“Such a mediator would be a blessing indeed,” King Don said smoothly. “But I must ask, how will you produce such an unbiased source in so little time?” His smile was polite, but his eyes were calculating.

Queen Mary allowed herself the most regal of smiles in return. “It so happens a woman under my command has a bond servant of the Seelie Court itself.”

Gasps went up among the audience. People turned to whisper to each other, part in fear, part in shock. Gyrus’s expression did not change, although he of all people would know what this meant. So it was faith in character then, how interesting. 

“A fey of the Seelie Court?” King Don broke through her assessment. “Is it truly safe to have him in the castle?”

Queen Mary raised one imperial eyebrow. “He is a bond servant, sworn with a powerful binding contract. I would never allow him inside my court, much less into an ally’s if he were not completely harmless. And as we all know, it is near impossible to lie to one of the Seelie Court.” 

“That is true,” Don said, shifting in his seat. He hid it well, but she could tell he was slightly uncomfortable. “Very well. But only for the trial.”

“Understood.” Now why would a Seelie Court fey in his court bother King Don? He must know that Gyrus was not so different from a fey himself. But it didn’t matter. That was a question for another day. She lifted her hand. “Sylvia. Fetch Maria and Knox.”

Sylvia took off in a rush and returned almost immediately with the two panting behind her. They must have seen the mess of the courtyard and come looking. Good on them. “Maria,” Queen Mary rose gracefully from her seat. “We are in need of an impartial mediator. May we borrow your bond servant for this endeavor?”

Maria bowed low. “Of course my Queen.” She turned to Knox, who stood looking around the room with mild curiosity. “Did you hear that Knox? You are going to mediate this trial, read their emotions, and make sure no one lies.”

“Affirmative,” Knox turned his piercing gaze on the Queen. “Your movements are controlled but there is a faint tremor in your hands. Your lips are pressed together too tightly, and your voice is a fraction of a decimal higher. Conclusion: You are having way more fun with this than you let on.”

“KNOX!” Maria yelled at the same time Tori gave a shriek of outrage. 

“Amusing as always Knox.” Queen Mary smiled. “But I am not the one on trial.” She directed his gaze to Tori with a graceful wave of her hand. “My Champion would like to make an accusation.”

“I see.” Knox turned his gaze on Tori, who held herself taunt under his gaze. “Heated skin, rapid heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, sweaty palms…Conclusion: She is in love, or possibly very angry.”

Oh dear. Queen Mary suppressed a smile as Tori exploded. “Which do ye think!” She balled her fists, body taunt as if she intended to jump over the podium and attack. She took a deep breath and straightened. “Ye are hear to listen to my testimony and assess its truthfulness Knox. Not waste our time by stating the obvious.”

“I see.” Knox held out his hand.

“What are you doing?” Tori frowned at the extended palm.

“I am waiting for you to give me your testimony. Unless it is to heavy for one arm. In which case, I will lift it with two.” 

Maria face-palmed as muffled snickers filled the courtroom. “Ye are supposed to listen to me you idiot!” snapped Tori. “It’s not a physical object!”

“That was not made clear,” Knox replied. 

Maria groaned. “Just start talking Tori.” She turned to point a finger at Knox. “Pay attention ok?” Knox nodded and Maria turned to slip into the witness stand beside Gyrus, arms crossed.

“Very well,” Tori began. “My testimony is simple enough. The Queen’s token left my possession three days ago, on the night of the Treaty’s Ball.” She crossed her arms. “It had been damaged when another person knocked into me and spilled their drink. I gave it to Sylvia and asked her to ensure it was cleaned before the final ceremony. I did not see it again for the next two days, and was on my way to ask Sylvia what was taking so long when I saw him…” she pointed directly at the blue knight, whose stoic expression did not change, “…wearing it in the courtyard. I demanded he return the Queen’s token, he refused to admit to the crime, and the rest you all saw.”

“You say it was not in your possession for three days before you saw it with Kodya.” King Don put his finger to his chin. “How do you know he didn’t simply find it somewhere?” A good point, Queen Mary begrudgingly admitted. She didn’t recognize the knight. This could very well be a misunderstanding. 

“The girdle bears the coat of arms of the kingdom of the Amethyst Eye, a banner of which has hung beside Swords' own in the great hall for the entirety of this peace treaty. Ye would have to be a fool to not recognize what it meant. Besides. He has seen me wear it. He was one of the knights who escorted us around the castle when we first arrived.”

Was he? Queen Mary cast another glance at the knight in blue. His face was vaguely familiar, but it had been such a blur of faces that afternoon that she could not be certain. She remembered Anan, in part because his nonstop chattering to Sylvia had greatly frustrated Tori. Their other guide had been wearing blue like the knight before her, but had been quiet and distracted. He had rarely paid attention to any of them aside from the occasional one-worded explanation, and had been switched out the next morning for a woman with blue hair who possessed far greater skill at conducting their tour. 

“Do any of your past interactions with him shed light on a motive?” Queen Mary asked. Perhaps Tori, ever observant Tori, had picked up on something she had missed. 

Tori frowned. “I do not pretend to know the mind of knaves.”

“Your body language indicates you are not being truthful.” interrupted Knox. 

Tori’s eyebrow twitched. “It’s a figure of speech Knox.” She took a deep breath. “Of course as the Queen’s Champion, I try to think of what motivations knaves might have for their actions, for preventative purposes and the like. But this knave?” She frowned. “I do not know. He was a distant, callous man who did not seem to much care about who he was escorting. But I did not sense any malevolence.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she straightened up. “Nevertheless, he had the missing token on his very person. That was no accident. So ask him!” She gestured to the knight in blue. “He can tell you his reasoning surely. I have nothing more to say.”

“Your body…” Knox started.

“Its an expression Knox!” Maria called from the sidelines as Tori glowered. 

“Thank you Tori,” Queen Mary smiled at her Champion. Tori seemed to relax under her gaze. “You may step down now.” Tori gave a salute and pushed behind the small wall next to Maria. She sent Gyrus a triumphant smirk. He returned it with a raised eyebrow. 

“Kodya,” King Don’s voice broke the courtroom’s silence. “It is time for you to plead your case. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?”

The blue night stepped out from behind the low wall, and walked, back straight and face impassive, to the podium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Tori's take on events! Facts to know: There are two fey courts, The Seelie and the Unseelie. The Seelie court has a strong emphasis on rules and truth. They cannot lie, and they will know if you lie. The Unseelie Court has no rules, or at least none we understand. Fey can form contracts with humans, but they rarely go well. So having Knox in court would be almost unheard of, and very, very dangerous.


	3. Part Three: The Accused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kodya would just like to say he didn't sign up for this.

The man called Kodya stood at the podium, arms crossed. Queen Mary studied him, looking for some sign of the fear people so often show when accused. But there was none in Kodya’s expression. He looked only very tired and slightly annoyed.

“Do I start?” he asked, voice blunt and to the point. “Or do I have to wait for the mediator?”

“Your raised blood-pressure, tightened muscles, and self touch show defensive behavior,” Knox stated. “Conclusion: you are nervous.”

Kodya raised a single eyebrow. If Knox had been human, he would have quelled under the waves of unimpressed radiating from his body. But Knox wasn’t human, and so merely stared back at Kodya in mild confusion.

King Don cleared his throat. “Please just begin Kodya,” he said, voice tired. The knight nodded once to his king, and began to speak.

“Before I begin, I’d like to make something very clear. I had no idea that girdle was important until after Red started attacking. I certainly didn’t know it was the Queen’s until she said so just a few minutes ago. Am I lying?” he directed the last part to Knox. 

“You are not,” Knox confirmed. The barest of smiles touched the knight's lips. He probably thought this meant he was free to go, but Queen Mary was not about to let him walk so easily.

“This does not explain how you got it, or why you decided to both keep and wear it if you merely thought it unimportant,” she said. “Surely you had seen the symbol and knew what it meant.” 

Kodya pinched the bridge of his nose. “I do know what the symbol means, but that’s not exactly a giveaway. It’s all over your delegation's clothes and accessories. Why even Gyrus has at least a dozen different items with the Amethyst Eye coat of arms on it from back when he lived there.” In the witness stand, Gyrus winced and Queen Mary couldn’t blame him as she felt the familiar frustration tug in her gut. It was not the smartest move to bring up a such a delicate political topic, especially one she was still slightly bitter about. Unless it was his intention to shift her attention. In which case, well done. 

“You are not lying,” Knox assessed. “But your increased sweating and slight heart increase suggest you are very anxious. Conclusion: you are not telling the full story.” Kodya glared at him.

Now that was interesting. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” she suggested, careful to keep her voice neutral. Kodya didn’t look at her, instead casting an almost panicked look towards Gyrus. Huh. So Gyrus wasn’t just doing a good deed. He was tangled up in this web. The question was, how?

Kodya took a deep breath. “It started two days ago, when I woke up late to practice.”

“Two days?” interrupted King Don. “You’re not starting with when you escorted the Queen?”

Kodya shook his head. “No, I wasn’t really paying attention much then. Had…,” he cast another quick glance at Gyrus “…other things on my mind. Besides,” Kodya continued, slightly more confident. “Cib switched out with me almost immediately after that.”

“I see,” Don leaned back in his chair. His eyes also flickered to Gyrus, then back to Kodya, expression unreadable. Gyrus glanced down, looking slightly sheepish. Now what could that be about? Queen Mary wondered. Gyrus had practically been a ghost since she’d arrived. She’d assumed it was intentional, that he felt awkward about the way he left and didn’t want to face confrontation, even if King Don had assured her he was simply unwell. If she was honest with herself, it had stung that Gyrus thought so little of her ability to control herself. But perhaps there was more truth to Don’s words than she’d first assumed.

“As I was saying” Kodya began again. “I was late to practice. I couldn’t find my belt anywhere in my chambers, so just grabbed the first piece of fabric that looked like it would make a decent substitute and hurried out.

“I honestly didn’t even notice it was anything special until Ragan asked if Neph had given me something new to one up those fancy pants knights from Amethyst Eye. I looked down, and that’s when I noticed that what I’d assumed was a scrap of cloth was actually pretty fine quality. I told Ragan it wasn’t Neph’s, but before I could explain Sherri walked in,” Kodya paused, and Queen Mary raised an eyebrow. Why stop now? 

“The increased heat on your skin, sweating, and muscle tremors suggest you are either very angry, or very embarrassed,” Knox said, red eyes scanning Kodya.

Kodya grit his teeth. “Am I lying?”

“Negative.” Knox responded.

“Then it doesn’t matter. Where was I?” Kodya’s brow furrowed. “Ahhh, Sherri,” Kodya scowled. “Sherri took one look at the fabric and started squealing. She grabbed Vee and started gushing about how ‘Kodya has a ladies token.’” Kodya’s voice went high pitched in a mocking rendition of a woman’s voice. “I told her she had the wrong impression, but she wouldn’t listen. She just thought I didn’t understand, and she and Vee started going on and on about what a big deal it was, and how I had a lady friend now.” Queen Mary's eyebrow climbed higher.

Kodya turned to glare at the audience. “And then Ragan started talking about how sorry she felt for the poor lady...and Xinju came in and started to make more comments about how I wasn’t the type to get a lady friend…and I was just about to throw the thing away and then…” Kodya broke off, color filling his cheeks. “And then Gyrus came in.” His voice dropped to a whisper. 

Oh no. Queen Mary thought to herself. Delicate matters such as this had a tendency to get horribly complicated when Gyrus decided to get involved.

“Interesting. Why would remembering Gyrus’s arrival upset you so much?” Knox asked, honest confusion in his voice.

Kodya face-palmed, cheeks aflame, and let out a muffled groan. Queen Mary almost winced from the secondhand embarrassment, and made a mental note to tell Maria to widen Knox's education. Finally Kodya drew in a breath and lowered his hand in a sharp gesture that landed in a point directly at Knox. “How about I explain what happened, and then you draw conclusions?”

Knox blinked at the hand pointed at his face. “Proceed,” he said.

Kodya took another deep breath, but it did nothing to stop the persistent blush covering his face and ears. “Gyrus walked in and asked what was going on.” He bit his lip. “Course Sherri shrieked about how I had a token, and Gyrus looked at me and…and I tried to say it wasn’t important… tried to take it off. But…” Kodya gulped. “Gyrus stopped me.” 

Oh here it comes. Queen Mary thought. Oh you poor boy. Don't tell me you took advice from Gyrus. 

“He pulled me aside from the group so the others wouldn’t listen in. Then he looked me right in the eye and…and he said…” Kodya put his head back in his hands and let his fingers run through his hair. “He said I shouldn’t let the teasing of others influence my actions, especially on something so important. That a token is a symbol of the feelings another has for you, and it takes a lot of courage to give it. Wearing it didn’t mean I had to reciprocate, it was just an acknowledgement of their bravery and respect for their feelings. Then... then he put his hand on my shoulder...looked me right in the eyes, and told me that if it really bothered me I didn’t have to wear it. but it should be my choice and not because others said so.

“And I could see how genuine and sincere he was being.." there was warmth in Kodya's voice that made Queen Mary's heart sink, "...it was all reflected in his eyes. And I couldn’t explain how I really got it, not after that.” Kodya hid his face back in his hands. Across from her Queen Mary could see Gyrus watching Kodya, eyes wide and stricken. 

“Lie.” Knox said. “You could have explained.”

“No I couldn’t!” Kodya shouted, thrusting his arms away from his torso in a sharp motion. “If I did that he’d get the wrong impression.”

“Lie,” Knox’s voice was flat. Kodya let out a frustrated snarl.

“No its not!” Kodya’s fist slammed into the podium as he swore in a language Queen Mary didn’t know. “I couldn’t tell him,” he said through gritted teeth. “Because if I told him, he would think I took it intentionally.”

“Why?” Knox asked. Gyrus’s lower lip began to tremble.

“Because I thought it was his!” Kodya exclaimed. The courtroom fell silent, nobody so much a breathed as Kodya’s anger drain into raw horror. Queen Mary felt her heart go out to him, in-spite of herself. Of all the ways to confess, on accident in a trial for an incident that came about because you were trying to avoid it was probably the worst. 

“Kodya…” Gyrus murmured, sounding confused and sad. It was a quiet admission, but in the silence it echoed like a thunderclap. Kodya flinched violently away. 

“I decided to keep it, at least until the treaty was over, and get rid of it then,” Kodya’s voice was dull. “Then Red started yelling and attacked me, and I ended up here.”

For a second, nobody moved. Tori cleared her throat, drawing everyone else’s eyes to her. “I apologize,” she said. “What you did was very stupid. But it was not meant as a slight against myself or my Queen. I may have…” her cheeks colored, “…overreacted.”

Kodya peaked at her, surprise evident on his face. She gave him a small smile. Queen Mary felt a rush of pride in her Champion. Leave it to Tori to behave honorably in a situation such as this. 

“Unintentional or not, he still wore another country’s token.” King Don said. Queen Mary gave him her most judgmental side glance for ruining the moment. King Don quickly added, “But we have more pressing matters to address.” He leaned forward, hands folded and tucked under his chin. “So tell me Gyrus, how did the queen’s girdle end up with you?”

Gyrus lifted his chin in defiance from his place in the witness stand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is it Kodya who always ends up with the short end of the stick? Personal head canon that Gyrus, being oblivious to love himself, does not give good love advice at all. But it looks like good love advice on the surface, and he's so confident that people go along with it.


	4. Part Four: The Witness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can someone as smart as Gyrus be so dumb?

Gyrus stepped to the podium, back straight with hands casually gripping the sides of the stand, as if he were giving a presentation to the King instead of standing as a witness and potential suspect. His eyes were forward, staring down the crowd, not glancing right or left. Kodya had his head buried in his hands at the witness stand, but Gyrus didn’t even glance at him. Out of the corner of her eye, Queen Mary saw King Don shift slightly, expression intense and focused. 

Gyrus began to speak. “I, Gyrus Axelei, am here to present my part in the case of the misplaced girdle of Queen Mary in the hopes of absolving Kodya against all accusations. May I begin?” he directed the last part to Knox with a polite smile.

Knox looked over him, assessing. “Your strong posture, tightened jaw, and steady eye contract show you are very determined. Proceed.” 

“Thank you Knox,” Gyrus gave an absent nod in his direction, but his full attention was turned to the audience. Queen Mary could see a gleam in his eye she knew far to well, one that told her he was not going to back down. “As you all know, I was not feeling well these last few days.” Queen Mary raised an eyebrow, as Knox did not flag a lie. So he had been sick like King Don had said. How odd. She’d never known him to be sick before. 

“It was recommended to me…” a muscle in Gyrus’s jaw twitched, the only sign of his frustration at what Queen Mary could only assume was a most unwanted request, “…that I not attend any of the main events for my health, even the Treaty Ball. Therefore, I retired to my quarters to spend my time on one of my projects in an effort to distract myself. It was then, on the night of the Treaty Ball, that I decided to experiment with dissolving acid and the story really began.”

“Dissolving acid?” Queen Mary interrupted. “Why on earth would you be making something so dangerous in the middle of a peace treaty?”

Gyrus’s lips twisted briefly downward, as if frustrated at the interruption. But Queen Mary did not care. To make something so dangerous deserved an explanation, in her humble opinion. And from the way King Don frowned at Gyrus, he agreed.

“It’s not nearly as dangerous as it sounds,” Gyrus sighed.

“Lie,” Knox said. 

“Ok, it is as dangerous as it sounds,” Gyrus amended. “But it has a lot of practical uses too. Like dissolving rocks in soil, or removing trash...plus a lot of chemical uses that would take far too long to explain. The point is, I wasn’t making it for any purposes that would interfere with the Treaty. Right Knox?”

“This is true,” Knox said. “But from the increased heart rate of the audience, I can conclude that you have convinced no one.”

“So I was making the acid,” Gyrus plowed on, regardless of the concerned looks from the crowd. “And Kodya came in to my chambers.” Gyrus’s face softened to a faint smile. “I wasn’t expecting that, I thought he and Neph were going to the ball. But he said he wanted to keep me company, so I decided that an extra set of hands would be a great help.” 

“Lie,” Knox interrupted. “Furthermore, your increased internal heat, sweat, and muscle tension all agree that you are nervous. Conclusion: you are lying to avoid explaining.”

“Oh?” Gyrus let out a high pitched laugh as he ran a hand through his hair, cheeks tinged with red. 

Oh Lord, Queen Mary thought. Was Gyrus, ever oblivious, never interested Gyrus, blushing? Had the end of times come upon them?

“I may have been…” Gyrus gave a small cough into his fist, “…showing off. Not taking the proper precautions and the like as I performed some rather flashy tricks.” He was definitely blushing. “In my arrogance I assumed my power could protect us both should an error occur, so there was no need to worry about the risks.”

“I was wrong.” Gyrus stared down at the podium, hands clenching into fists. The audience stared, and even Kodya peaked out of his arms to look up at Gyrus in confusion. Queen Mary couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t every day you heard Gyrus admit fault. 

Gyrus continued, voice heavy with regret. “I let Kodya pick up one of the vials of acid, carefully of course, and under my own razor-sharp focus. He was only supposed to hand it to me, but as he was carrying it over…” Gyrus swallowed, “…a loud crash echoed through my chambers. Kodya startled, and the acid in the vial flew out in a perfect arc and landed on his clothes.”

A gasp escaped the audience, and Mary felt one bubbling up inside her to. Only years of practice stopped her from making a sound. Gyrus had stated that acid could burn through rocks, what could it do to human flesh? She cast a glance at Kodya, but she couldn’t see any signs of burns on his arms or face. Not that she had a very good view. Quite a few other gazes were drawn to Kodya too, and he hid his head back in his arms.

“I reacted with my powers, just in time, removing the contaminated material and shoving Kodya into a decontamination shower. I was fortunate that he was unharmed.” There was a beat of silence.

“Ye stripped him?!” Tori shrieked in shock. Queen Mary allowed herself the slightest of winces at her Champion’s rather…blunt phrasing. From his place beside Tori, Kodya groaned, ears burning red as he attempted to bury his face deeper in his hands.

“It’s standard procedure!” Gyrus snapped. “If I hadn’t acted the acid would have cut through far more than clothing.” 

“This is true,” Knox said. “But your increased heart, sweaty palms, higher pitch and aggressive movements suggest you are very embarrassed.”

“Yes well…” Gyrus tugged on his sleeve, “…the point is, Kodya was out the way, and I turned to the culprits.” Gyrus’s face darkened. He raised his face, eyes burning, to look directly into the audience. “It was Oli and Anan.”

A gasp went up from the audience, as every head turned to look at two figures in the crowd. Queen Mary followed there gaze to see Anan and another man standing beside Sylvia. Anan’s hands were raised as if in surrender, and the other rounder man was half behind him, shaking. Both looked very nervous.

“Yes,” Gyrus said, with a brows furrowed like thunderclouds. “Oli and Anan had barged into my lab without knocking, and startled Kodya into dropping the acid. But don’t worry,” Gyrus’s lips twisted into a smirk. “I made certain the were properly informed of the gravity of their actions.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Queen Mary saw both Anan and the man who must be Oli wince.

“My wardrobe had been knocked over in the chaos,” Gyrus shrugged, “I don’t know if it was my power, or Oli and Anan hit it by accident. But the clothes had spilled all over the floor. Kodya…interrupted my lecture to request a towel, so I collected a few items from the floor and pushed them through the curtain for him to use. When he emerged, I made Oli and Anan apologize, and sent them all on their way.” 

Gyrus hesitated half a second before adding. “As he left, I remember Kodya had a blue cloth belt around his waste. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but that was very likely how he got it.”

“You are not lying.” Knox said. “But if you are able to remember the color of a cloth around Kodya’s waist after seeing it once, how did you not recognize the girdle of the queen after having an entire conversation with Kodya later?”

That, Queen Mary thought, was an excellent point. Gyrus was known for his almost perfect memory. It was rumored he’d never forgotten a moment in his life. So how hadn’t he recognized her girdle?”

“Oh I hadn’t seen it before.” Gyrus pointed out. “When I…” his eyes flickered briefly to Queen Mary and she sat up straighter, “…lived in Amethyst, the champion’s sash was purple, not blue. I was sick for most of this, remember? I didn’t see Tori until after she lost the girdle.”

That certainly made sense, Queen Mary begrudgingly admitted to herself, but there was one question that was still on her mind. “If you knew what the girdle looked like when Kodya wore it out of your rooms, why did you claim not to recognize it when you saw Kodya wearing it with the other knights?”

“I, uh…” Gyrus scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Kinda did?” 

“What?!” Kodya’s head snapped up from his arms.

“Only 60%!” Gyrus hastily added, arms spread wide in defense. 

“Lie.” Knox’s voice was flat. Kodya glared at Gyrus, who shot him a panicked glance.

“75%! No, 76.458% certain it was the one he’d taken from my room!” Gyrus’s voice was high pitched. “I wasn’t absolutely certain, I’d only really seen it from the back, but it was blue and had the symbol of Amethyst Eye…,” Gyrus began to fiddle with his fingers, “…and my wardrobe had been knocked over…I kinda just assumed it was probably something from way back then that I’d forgotten about?” He peaked through his bangs. “I wasn’t certain though, and I didn’t want to be wrong…And he seemed so upset about it.” Gyrus’s lips twisted downward, “…like he was embarrassed or didn’t care.”

Gyrus hugged himself as he looked down. “It hurt a bit, and I decided if he was going to have a token, he might as well understand its importance. Besides, there was still a fourth of a chance it was someone else’s and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt…So I just kinda…pulled him aside, and let him know that if it was someone else’s he should treat it with respect, and heavily implied that if it was mine I didn’t mind if he kept it?” Gyrus ended in a rush, avoiding all eye contact and blushing like mad. 

Queen Mary stared at the blushing mess before her and wondered who he was and what he’d done with the Gyrus she remembered, who was so clever and aloof. Because really, in what universe did talking about tokens as they symbols of the affections of others mean that someone was interested? Maybe its a good thing Gyrus never showed an interest before, he would have caused all kinds of chaos in her court.

Kodya’s eyes were wide and it looked as if he was about to say something, but Gyrus interrupted. “I can safely say it wasn’t in my room before that incident, and I did not receive any other visitors to my chambers the night Tori lost it. As anything with Kodya was likely marred by the acid, I can safely assume that it must have come from Oli or Anan. I suggest you ask them.”

Anan spoke up from the crowd, braking the tension in the room. “Gee, Thanks Gyrus! Nice to know you’ve got a guy's back!” Gyrus did not look at him, instead taking great interest in the stone of the floor. Kodya was still staring, mouth opening and closing like he wanted to speak. 

King Don sighed. “If you have nothing more to say, you may go back to the witness stand Gyrus,” he said as he rubbed his forehead to stop an incoming migraine. “Oli and Anan, I believe its time for the both of you to come forward.”

Queen Mary watched as the two men stepped out of the crowd, Oli was wide-eyed and shaking, while Anan hid his worry with a glare at Gyrus. Perhaps now, they would finally get some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important historical context: remember how I said it was against the code of chivalry to steal a token? Well, if a knight were gifted something from a lady they were in love with, or got there hands on a lock of hair or something, they might turn it into a token too. This had...mixed reactions, to put it mildly, with some texts lauding it as a beautiful sign of unrequited love, and the others who found it extremely offensive. There was literally a book written called "The Rape of the Locke" about this whole concept, but it was from further along in history, I think in Elizabethan England. Interestingly enough, England still had the concept of tokens well into Jane Austen's regency era.


	5. Part Five: The Culprits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the true culprits have a lot to say, especially about each other.

Anan and Oli did not fit neatly behind the podium. It was only to be expected Queen Mary supposed, as there were two of them. However, the passive-aggressive way they fought with their elbows for space must not help.

Anan spoke up first. “I can explain,” he said before Oli could draw a breath. 

“So can I!” Oli quickly added, glaring at Anan.

A faint sound brushed against Queen Mary’s ear. She glanced to her right to see King Don rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Just begin,” he said, voice full of exhaustion.

Both Anan and Oli opened their mouths, but it was Knox’s voice that carried over the crowd. “You both exhibit heated skin, increased heart rates, sweating, and a strong desire to touch. Conclusion: You are either in love or very angry…” Anan and Oli jumped apart, “…However, Maria tells me this is not the time for flirting. So behave or as mediator I will have you removed.”

Oli blushed horribly, stuttering in shock. Anan looked equally upset, but took advantage of Oli’s surprise to go first. “It all began on the day when the delegation arrived. Oli and I were just on our way from completing some necessary preparations before the big welcoming party…”

“You mean you bugged me into making you some food!” snapped Oli the same time Knox said, “Lie!”

“Hey now, food is very necessary.” Anan waved away both Knox and Oli’s objections with his hand. “The point is, we were together when we found Gyrus collapsed in the hall, barely conscious.”

“He what!” Kodya’s head snapped up to look at Gyrus, who blushed. Maria, stuck between the two, let out a very frustrated sigh.

“Yeah, it was pretty worrying,” Anan replied to Kodya’s comment. “I mean…” he gestured to Gyrus who was still red and avoiding eye contact, “…its Gyrus, he never gets sick. It’s the whole reason King Don put him in charge of this whole delegation visit!”

Queen Mary pursed her lips, she hadn’t known that. In the audience low mutters began to rise. Apparently the details of Gyrus’s sickness had been kept a secret. 

“But there he was, nearly unconscious in a hallway, when he was supposed to be greeting the Queen any moment now!” Anan continued, clearly enjoying the shock and surprise his story created. “So naturally I did the only thing I could do, and offered to take his place as and escort.”

“Lie,” interrupted Knox.

“That was my idea,” Oli jumped in, shooting Anan a glare. “I told you to take his place while I took him to the hospital. You just panicked.” Anan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and looked away. “I took him to Nephthys," Oli explained. "And stayed with him for a while to see that he was okay."

“Yeah, but that’s not really relevant,” Anan interrupted. “What matters is what happened when I took Gyrus’s place as an escort.” Oli frowned, but stayed silent, so he apparently agreed. “It was there...” Anan’s cheeks were tinged with pink, “...that I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen: Sylvia.” He paused, like he expected this to be a revelation. It wasn’t. Even Queen Mary had seen it coming a mile away.

A beat of silence passed before Anan continued, cheeks very red. “Just my luck, I got to escort her around the whole of the castle…” Oli sighed and looked wistfully. 

“And the Queen,” Tori interrupted, arms crossed and a scowl on her lips. Queen Mary tried not to smile. She remembered that escort. She had never seen someone fail so badly at flirting. 

“And the Queen and her Champion,” Anan sheepishly admitted. “But Kodya could handle them.”

“Lie,” said Knox. Kodya looked briefly taken a back, then nodded.

“I was pretty distracted,” Queen Mary heard him say from across the room.

“Anan,” King Don sighed, the much clearer sigh of a monarch who is loosing his patience and wants you to know it. “Get to the point.”

“This is relevant, I swear,” Anan gave a little half-laugh as Oli crossed his arms. “So I was trying to talk to her you know? Get to know her. But it didn’t seem to be working until I pulled out my lunch, which she was very interested in.”

“The lunch I made,” Oli added with a roll of his eyes. “Which I saw you give away while you claimed to know all about the food, because I had come back to try and let you know Gyrus was okay. You know, like a friend’s supposed too.”

“I didn’t say I made it,” Anan said, looking sheepish. “Just that I knew where to get more.” Oli did not look impressed.

“I also met Sylvia around that time,” Oli said with a blush. “And was very flattered to have someone enjoy my cooking so much, even if someone else was taking the credit.” He glared at Anan who looked slightly guilty. “So the next morning, when I was helping Gyrus out because he was still sick, I asked after her like a normal person does.”

“Normal people don’t ask friends about girls,” said Anan. “They go up and ask the girls!”

“You are both lying,” said Knox. “The human species is far too complicated to follow one definition of normal. If it did I would have figured it out years ago.”

Both Oli and Anan both paused to shoot Knox a sympathic look. “Dude,” Anan said softly.

Oli cleared his throat, “So I asked Gyrus, and he told me I should try chocolate, because Sylvia likes chocolate.” 

…That’s not actually a bad idea. Queen Mary thought. Had Gyrus gotten better at giving love advice?

Oli continued, “I made the chocolate, and gave it to her in a nice box with a note. But I was to embarrassed to watch, so I ducked around the corner and hid.” He pointed a finger at Anan. “I didn’t go far though, which is how I know Anan decided to interfere,by taking the box and removing the note!”

“Hey!” Anan protested. “We were getting attacked by rogue mercenaries and she needed a power up, it was necessary!” 

“Necessary to throw the note away?” Oli snapped back.

“Rogue Mercenaries?” Queen Mary interrupted. “I was not informed of this.” Both Oli and Anan froze and turned to look at her, like two deer caught in a hunter’s path.

“Extremists and bandits who objected to the Treaty,” King Don hastily added. “A minor blip easily handled.” Queen Mary studied him, trying to see what he was leaving out. But his face was a perfect mask of unbothered and wise. She didn’t like that something so dangerous had happened without her knowledge. Her eyes flickered to Sylvia in the crowd, who smiled sheepishly up at her. Still, if Sylvia hadn’t brought it to her attention, it couldn’t have been too important.

“Proceed,” she said as she waved her hand gracefully at the two men beside the podium.

Anan cleared his throat. “Actually I should go next for this part, where I also decided to ask Gyrus for help.” He crossed his arms and shot Gyrus a glare. “Unaware that he was already on the other team.”

“Wait you went to Gyrus too?” Oli gasped. “I thought you said normal people don’t ask friends for help!”

“Incorrect,” Knox interrupted. “His exact words were: ‘Normal people don’t ask friends about girls, they go up and ask the girls!'” Knox repeated in a quite frankly unnerving imitation of Anan’s voice.

Anan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well yeah, but that’s like step one, for hobbies and stuff. Once you know enough about her interests, that’s when you do a little recon to figure something out to impress her.”

“I will once again state that this is not true,” said Knox. “If courting required such simple steps, Alistair would have a partner by now.”

“Hey!” snapped a Alistair from the crowd. Maria, Gyrus, and even Tori all facepalmed. Queen Mary couldn’t blame them. Alistair was not at all skilled in courtship.

“Once again Anan, please stick to the point.” King Don put his head in his hands.

“This really is relevant!” Anan insisted. “It helps set up where everyone was for the ball. Now where was I?” He cleared his throat. “Right, Gyrus. I went to see Gyrus, to learn a little about Amethyst Eye culture you know? I wanted to be able to impress Syllie with some cool dance moves at the ball. He was pretty willing to help me learn...Said it was so nice that we were all trying to make the delegation feel welcome, and that I should come over later when he was giving lessons. I thought it was a little strange King Don let him do that, what with him still being sick and all…” Anan shrugged, “…but I wasn’t going to push my luck.”

Gyrus was suddenly not looking anywhere, a blush forming on his cheeks. Oh no. Thought Queen Mary. What did you do this time?

“Turns out, it wasn’t an official class,” Anan said. “It was just Gyrus, Kodya, and me.” He paused, voice raising higher in embarrassment. “And have you ever gone to do something with two friends and realized halfway through it was probably a date, and they just didn’t want to admit it so they let you come along? Yeah it was like that." He tugged on an earring. "Kodya was not happy I was there.”

There it is. Queen Mary held back a sigh. Gyrus will you ever learn?

“And this matters because?” King Don asked.

“Because it shows that Gyrus and Kodya were too wrapped up in their own little world to have anything to do with the lost girdle,” Anan replied with uncharacteristic seriousness. “Kodya never even got to the ball. We were halfway to it when he suddenly decided to go back to visit Gyrus.” 

“And that’s important!” Oli added with a little jump that nudged Anan sideways. “Because the ball was where everything really started.”

“Yeah, because someone decided to ambush me out in the hall, and made me help out in the kitchen instead of going to the ball!” Anan glared at Oli, then held his hands up to make air quotes. “Because if you’re going to claim to be such a great cook, you might as well figure out what actually happens in a kitchen.”

“I will admit, I was kinda proud of that line,” Oli smiled. Anan continued to glare, so Oli crossed his arms. “Oh don’t look at me like that, they only needed help distributing drinks. It didn’t even take you that long.”

“Long enough for you to start putting moves on Syllie behind my back,” Anan snapped. “I got back to see you chatting her up at the food table, and I realized it was all a set up.” Oli rolled his eyes.

Queen Mary glanced at Sylvia to see what she thought about her two suitors fighting. She was standing in crowd, snacking on some nuts and berries. Queen Mary noted she did not look impressed. 

“So I let a bit of the drink spill out and fall on Oli’s head as it passed by,” Anan smirked. “Nothing to bad, but boy did it make him jump.” 

Beside him Oli scowled. “It was cold!” he complained. “And I knew he did it on purpose, so I may have let my drink slip and land on him too.”

“Which ruined my new clothes!” Anan added. “So naturally I decided that your drink needed some fruit on the side.” 

“Not nearly as much as yours did,” Oli replied. Then he blushed as the audience stared. “We…” he twiddled with his fingers, “may have gotten into a food fight.”

“I was winning,” Anan added with a puff of his chest.

“Lie,” Knox’s voice was flat.

“I was holding my own,” Anan corrected. “But then Syllie stopped us. She caught the food we were throwing in her mouth. Then insisted that if we were going to throw it, we should let her catch it so it didn’t go to waste.” He grinned at the memory. 

“It became a game, we would throw it and she would catch it.” Oil added. “She was really, really good. But then…” he blushed and looked down. “It wasn’t her fault.”

“Yeah, it was ours,” Anan agreed. “We threw two grapes at the same time, and she had to step backward to get it…” he gulped. “And knocked into someone carrying a goblet…who spilled their drink all over Tori’s token.” 

Oh my, Queen Mary thought as she saw Tori scowl at the two men in the center. So that was how the girdle was damaged. She must have given them quite a talking too.

“She yelled at Syllie!” Anan said as Oli winced beside him. “And when we pointed out it was our fault she yelled at us too.”

“There was a lot of yelling,” Oli agreed. “Then she calmed down a bit and told Sylvia to clean it up immediately.”

“Syllie was really disappointed that she couldn’t spend the rest of the evening at the ball…” Anan said.

“And I felt really bad because it wasn’t her fault…” Oli added.

“So I offered to get it cleaned for her!” they said in unison, then glared at each other.

“And you went to Gyrus why?” asked Queen Mary, not because she didn’t already have a guess, but because she wanted them to stop glaring and continue. 

“Gyrus has all sorts of magical potions for all sorts of problems. If anyone was going to have a way to fix it quickly, it was going to be him,” Anan explained. 

“We ran all the way there,” Oli added. “We really wanted to get it fixed. But when we got there…” His face turned scarlet.

“It was crazy!” Anan said with a wave of his hands for emphasis. “Kodya jumped sky high, and then Gyrus’s powers started moving everything in the room, yanking the clothes right off of him and shoving him into a shower!”

“He threw me into his wardrobe!” Oli winced as he rubbed the back of his head. “It really hurt.”

“It was chaos,” Anan shuttered. “And one of those times when you don’t know what’s going on, and you know you don’t want to. But don’t worry!” he added. “Gyrus knew exactly what we had done, and proceeded to lecture us for hours.” He raised one hand to mimic a mouth talking. “Don’t enter my lab unannounced, you could have killed Kodya if I hadn’t been faster…and so on and so forth… until he forgot what he was lecturing us about.”

Oli winced. “I’ve never seen him so angry.” 

“Kodya took pity on us eventually,” Anan shot the man a grin. “And asked for some clothes. Course Gyrus turned around and began to fuss over Kodya for another few minutes. Once Kodya was out we apologized, and then Gyrus kicked us all out.”

“I felt like I’d forgotten something,” Oli hugged himself. “But I couldn’t remember what. Then the kitchen staff caught the two of us and made us help clean up after the party…and I didn’t remember the token until the next morning.” He looked away. “Sorry Sylvia.”

Anan gave a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, that was a real shock, especially when Syllie asked if it was done yet.” He tugged at his earring again. “I managed to play it off, say it was still in the works. But as soon as she was gone, I grabbed Oli and we headed back to see Gyrus.”

“He wasn’t in.” Oli lifted his head. “But we searched everywhere! Even in the parts he definitely didn’t want us looking..."

"Did you know he reads Romances?" Anan muttered under his breath but loud enough for everyone to hear. Kodya, Tori, and Maria all turned to stare at Gyrus. He blushed. Huh, Queen Mary thought. In a weird way, that actually makes sense. 

"...It wasn’t anywhere!” Oli finished, and Queen Mary turned her attention somewhat guiltily back to the men in the center.

“I thought maybe it got dropped as we ran,” Anan nudged Oli over slightly so he was more centered. “So we retraced our steps, and then when it didn’t work, we asked the maids if they’d seen it. No luck.”

“I thought we should go back and ask Gyrus again,” Oli nudged Anan back over. “But Anan thought it would be a bad idea after the mess we’d made twice now in his rooms.”

“And because if Gyrus found it, he would have returned it.” Anan snapped. “He lived in the kingdom, I thought he knew what the Queen’s token looked like. I didn’t realize the coloring had changed.”

There seems to be a lot of that going on. Queen Mary thought. Everyone really needed to stop putting Gyrus on a pedestal. He was just a man after all, with feelings and failures, and not some wise source of knowledge and power without a mind of his own…oh. She may owe Gyrus an apology.

“We searched for two days,” Oli looked over the audience, big eyes imploring them to understand. “And couldn’t find it. Finally I said we should just give up and ask Gyrus to help us find it so Sylvia didn’t get into trouble…and that’s when we came into the courtyard to see Gyrus and Tori engaged in combat, and ended up here.”

“We had no idea it would get so out of hand.” Anan shifted his weight awkwardly. “Or that Kodya ended up with the token.” 

“I guess it all would have been solved if you’d just listened to me and asked Gyrus right away,” Oli sighed.

“Yeah,” Anan agreed absently as he looked to the left above the crowd's heads. “Wait…” His head snapped around. “This is not my fault!” 

“Well, if you’d listened to me we wouldn’t be in this situation. So yeah, I kinda think it is,” Oli pointed out, frowning at Anan.

“You are both lying,” Knox said. “It was both of your faults.”

Anan and Oli both started to protest as Queen Mary turned to King Don. “Is it always like this?”

King Don buried his head in his hands and groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sylvia. She didn't ask to have two idiots fighting over her hand. Both Oli and Anan are knights, but Oli's powers are very useful right now in the kitchen, so that's why he's helping out there on occasion. He also used to be a kitchen boy before his powers got him added to the knight's team, so the kitchen feels like they have the right to use him and anyone he suggests to them to use when they normally wouldn't dream of it.  
> Medieval fact of the day: Romances are what we call the traditional tales of knighthood and chivalry. They often contained romance, but were much more action adventure type tales.  
> Oli and Anan might seem a little out of character, but that's because 1) fighting over a love interest brings out the best in nobody, and 2) I came up with this plot a while ago, before we got a better grasp of their characters.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don would like this all to be over, preferably an hour ago.

“Ok that’s enough.” King Don held up his hand and Oli and Anan instantly fell silent. “Knox is correct. You are both guilty.” He rubbed his face with his free hand as both Anan and Oli paled. Queen Mary felt a twinge of pity, as this whole debacle appeared to have cracked King Don’s otherwise perfect facade. It was always difficult to let anyone see the faults below the surface. 

“Perhaps,..” she kept her voice gentle, “...It is time discuss consequences.” Everyone in the witness stand's attention snapped to her. Kodya looked sick, Gyrus defiant. Both Oli and Anan were quaking. Maria grabbed Knox across the stand and hissed something into his ear. No doubt it was something along the lines of: ‘For the love of God do not contradict royalty when they pass judgment.’ Only Tori held her head high, ready to accept whatever fate her queen decided.

King Don glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Do you have any requests for how I handle them? It is your girdle after all.” His voice was neutral, but with and undercurrent of wariness. She had the impression he was currently doing rabid calculations in his head, wondering how far he would have to go to both maintain the trust of his people and appease the treaty. 

Let it never be said she was an unreasonable woman. She knew just how important this treaty was. She would not ask for to much. But nonetheless, some sort of punishment was needed. Amethyst Eye must not be mistaken for weak. She raised her chin as regally as she could. “I require and apology from all parties, naturally. But as for the rest...” she inclined her head slightly to King Don, “...I leave the punishments of your people in your own capable hands, Your Majesty.” King Don’s shoulders relaxed slightly at the title and she allowed herself a small smile. “All I ask is that you keep them...” she caught King Don’s eye, “...poetic.”

King Don’s eyes sharpened as he returned her smile with a positively evil smirk. “But of course, Your Majesty," he said as he turned to Oli and Anan, face falling back into that perfect mask of disappointed and severe. “Oli and Anan, I believe you have something to say to the Queen.”

Oli fell to his knees, bowing low with his whole body trembling. As he moved, he yanked Anan down beside him. Anan caught himself on one knee, placing one hand on his heart as he bowed his head. By all means, he looked the perfect courtly gentlemen, but Queen Mary could see the sweat on his brow. “I humbly apologize Your Majesty!” They both said in unison, then proceeded to glare at each other out of the corner of their eyes. 

Queen Mary hid a smile. That would never stop being funny. “You are forgiven,” she said in her most imperial voice, the one reserved for people whom she wanted to think were not nearly as off the hook as they hoped. Both Oli and Anan did not look at all reassured as they turned to face their own king.

King Don regarded them carefully before he spoke. Oli turned his gaze to the ground, hands twitching as if he wanted to hug himself but thought better of it. Anan’s eyes went glassy, as if he was not really there.

Finally, King Don decided to speak. “Anan and Oli.” His voice was firm. “You will both guard the eastern wall for as long as the delegation is in our city.” Oli’s head snapped up, clearly not believing his luck, while Anan looked like he’d rather receive any other punishment. Queen Mary wondered how long it would take them to realize that the delegation was housed in the Western tower. Now neither of them would see their dear Sylvia, except in passing, until it was time for the delegation to leave.

Very clever King Don, Queen Mary thought as she hid a smile. Let them pine off on the eastern wall and faraway from trouble. 

“Gyrus,” King Don called out, and Gyrus strode forward from his place at the witness stand. He took an knee beside Oli, and bowed in perfect form. Every movement was sharp and crisp, with his bangs falling over his eyes to mask his expression. It looked practiced, as if he’d done it many, many times. An image jumped into Queen Mary’s eyes of a young boy falling over himself to bow before her; his face red and blushing as it became clear he had no idea what he was doing. How strange to know they were the same person.

“I apologize Your Majesty.” His voice forced the image of the boy from her mind, replacing it with a grown man who spoke as neutrally as his king. 

“You are forgiven,” she allowed a trace of gentleness to enter her voice. Gyrus held his position for a second more, before turning to his king. She felt a pang in her heart at how distant he seemed. She wondered how she could possibly breach the divide and offer some form of apology for the years her own frustrations had kept her distant. 

King Don turned his gaze to Gyrus, his expression the exact amount of disappointed-but-knows-you-could-do-better that would have made any parent proud. “For you Gyrus, I leave the clean up of the mess you made in the courtyard, without magic.” He added the last part with a raise of his eyebrow. 

“But he won’t do it alone.” Queen Mary timed her words so it was not quite and interruption but still stopped King Don from continuing. “Tori, if you would.”

Tori marched up with quick and efficient steps. She turned first to King Don, kneeling before him with one hand on her hilt in the traditional bow of Amethyst Eye. “I apologize, Your Majesty, for my actions.” 

A brief look of surprise crossed King Don’s face, before it was gone. Instead he said, “You are forgiven.”

Tori turned to her, back straight and face unafraid. It warmed Queen Mary’s heart to see such faith in her judgment. It hadn’t always been like this. She could still remember the frightened girl dragged before her all those years ago. 

Tori gave her a look, the one that told Queen Mary she knew where her mind went and now was not the time for it. Queen Mary gave herself a mental shake. She really needed to get her head out of the past and focus as Tori silently advised. Very deliberately, she began to speak. “Tori, for your punishment you will assist Gyrus with the clean up. It was a mess you made together, and thus a mess you must fix together.”

Punishment enough, she figured, and also an opportunity. She knew Tori held some of her...frustrations with Gyrus over his choice to live in Swords. Perhaps this would help them mend their differences. At the very least it would be a start. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw King Don give a small nod. Good. It was not the time or the place for the King and visiting Queen to get into an argument over proper punishments. 

Tori gave a bow to her, and then turned to Gyrus. “I apologize,” she said, hand gripping the hilt of her sword in a way that could be mistaken for a traditional salute, but Queen Mary knew was actually a nervous tick. “I let anger take over and acted without thought.”

“It’s fine,” Gyrus replied with a faint smile. “I too should not have reacted in violence.” Tori returned the smile hesitantly. And for a second they were young again before her, ready for another adventure. 

She really, really needed to stop having flashbacks. It was going to make her sentimental.

“Kodya,” King Don’s voice broke through her thoughts. Kodya kept his back straight as he came, stiff as a soldier marching to war. His gaze was forward, but somehow he never quite met her eyes. He bowed low at her feet in a perfect copy of Gyrus’s. “I apologize Your Majesty.” His voice was clearly meant to sound neutral, but Queen Mary could hear the undercurrent of panic.

“You are forgiven,” she said in her normal voice, with its own undercurrent of amusement. It did not appear to reassure Kodya at all, and his shoulders seemed to sag slightly as he turned to face King Don.

“Kodya, you will escort the Queen and her company for the rest of their stay. Hopefully time with the Amethyst Eye’s delegation will teach you to recognize their symbol.” Kodya’s fist tightened as a muscle in his jaw twitched. He looked like he had been told to teach a laborer to swing a sword. 

Queen Mary felt mildly offended. Surely her company alone didn’t warrant a punishment. Kodya looked upset for one more second before he caught himself and rearranged his face into one on neutrality. He snuck a glance at her to see if she saw his discomfort. She allowed herself a slight frown. Kodya’s eyes went wide before turning downward, cheeks red. Beside him Gyrus’s hand moved as if to reach out, but he thought better of it and pulled back.

“Sylvia.” Queen Mary lifted her chin to look out into the audience. “Come here.” She watched as the crowd parted to allow Sylvia to come forward. Crumbs were still on the corner of her mouth as she gave a low curtsy before King Don. Queen Mary felt irrationally proud of her for that curtsy. It had taken Sylvia ages to master it. “Sorry,” she signed.

Queen Mary very much doubted that King Don was fluent in sign language. But he seemed to grasp the meaning of the gesture. “You are forgiven,” he said politely. Sylvia turned to her and gave another low curtsy. Both Oli and Anan scooted over to give her more room to spread her dress properly as she knelt. 

“What do you want me to do?” Sylvia signed.

“Sylvia,” Queen Mary kept her voice severe to remind Sylvia that she was not supposed to speak first. “For your punishment, I sentence you to remove the stain from my girdle, and present it to Tori.” Sylvia looked unbothered at this. “You will also,” Queen Mary added. “Be responsible for the rest of the delegation’s laundry as well as mine and your own, as a reminder not to skirt your chores.” She finished with a raised eyebrow to match her raised voice. 

Sylvia looked slightly more apologetic now she knew she would be up to her ears in laundry for the next few days. It was still a fairly light sentence, considering she began this mess. It wasn't like the delegation would go through that much laundry before they left. Although the token might be more of a challenge than Sylvia was expecting. Queen Mary eyed her girdle with some trepidation. She hoped they didn’t have to re-dye it like they had the last time it had gotten damaged. It had come out entirely too blue, which now she thought about it, was partly responsible for the events that transpired.

Speaking of which, she thought as she looked over the six people kneeling before her. There was one crime committed here that needed to be rectified. 

“I believe we are done providing punishment to those gathered,” she said to King Don. He nodded, and turned his head back to the crowd, hand moving as if he intended to dismiss everyone. “However,” she added, and wished that King Don had a enough patience to let a woman finish speaking. “There is one crime we are guilty of that has not been addressed.” 

King Don’s head spun to look at her, eyes wide with surprise. It did feel good to see him so genuinely confused, but now was not the time to dwell on such matters. She turned to Kodya, who was still kneeling beside Gyrus. “Kodya,” she said. “I believe you no longer have a token, is that correct?”

Gyrus, Kodya, and Tori’s heads snapped up. Tori shot her a look that said: ‘What are you doing?’ while Gyrus looked worriedly between herself and Kodya. Even Oli and Anan were peaking at Kodya. Maria was so surprised she briefly let go of Knox. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see King Don frown, a thunderous thing. Only Sylvia seemed unbothered as she licked the crumbs at the corner of her mouth.

Kodya waved his hands in front of his face, as if to stop the oncoming storm that would inevitably follow. “That’s fine! Totally fine! I don’t need one!” His voice was high pitched and panicked.

“The rise in pitch, increase in sweat, and defensive body language all lead to the conclusion that...” Maria snapped her hand over Knox’s mouth before he could finish. ‘Sorry,’ she mouthed as every eye in the room swung to her.

“Not at all,” Queen Mary delicately ignored Knox in favor of answering Kodya’s protests. Kodya’s shoulders sagged as she spoke. “A knight who has earned his token should be allowed to keep it.” She turned her head to look Gyrus. “Gyrus,” she said as their eyes met. “I believe you owe Kodya a token. A proper one this time.”

Now all the eyes in the room turned to look at Gyrus. Kodya in particular whipped his head sideways so fast she feared he would harm himself. Gyrus’s face was completely red as he reached up into his hair and pulled a ribbon from it. His green hair fell around his face like a curtain as he took Kodya’s wrist between his own two hands. Kodya watched Gyrus’s hands as he carefully tied the ribbon around Kodya's wrist. Gyrus finished with and elaborate knot, but hesitated at letting go. Instead he snuck a peak through his long bangs at Kodya’s wide and adoring eyes. 

“Ehem.” King Don coughed into his fist. Gyrus let go of Kodya’s wrist like it was on fire and sank back into a bow. Kodya followed suit, but slower, hand absently stroking the ribbon on his wrist as if in a daze. 

King Don was still frowning, but less intensely than before. He could hardly criticize his Champion’s actions on the behest of the visiting Queen. Especially when they had been to restore the honor of one of his own knights. She raised an eyebrow at him, a reminder of all these facts. And yes, she was making a scene he couldn't back out of like she promised herself she wouldn't, but at least it was for someone else's honor and not her own. 

King Don’s face became a polite mask once again. “That concludes all business here,” he said to the audience. “You are all dismissed.” He waved his hand, and the people gathered in the audience began to shuffle out. Maria was the first out the door, hand still over Knox’s mouth as she dragged him beside her. The six before them all rose to there feet as well. Sylvia gave a final curtsy before darting into the crowd, no doubt in search of the nuts and berries she’d had to leave behind. Oli and Anan both hurried after her, one on each side. Gyrus moved beside King Don's throne, the perfect Champion waiting for his King. Kodya hesitated, a hand on his wrist, before disappearing into the crowd. Queen Mary had a feeling he would not go far. 

Tori came forward, hand extended to help Queen Mary rise from her chair. She gratefully took it and rose with practiced grace. “I believe we have a meeting we must still attend, Your Majesty.” She addressed King Don with a slight incline of her head. 

He nodded sharply. “You are quite right, the finer parts of the treaty must be reviewed.” So saying he stepped forward to lead the way, Gyrus falling into step behind him. 

“Gyrus,” she said. He startled, moving himself so he was a step behind her as well. Perfect etiquette, but not what she intended. “Don’t take love advice from romances.” She allowed herself a private smile at his surprise. “They do not give good advice.”

Gyrus ducked his head, a blush on his cheeks. “I just like the stories, honestly!” he protested. Then added a quick, “Your Majesty.”

She allowed herself another small smile as her heart warmed. All politics aside, it was good to see him again. If this was what life in Swords was like, she supposed she could understand his choice to live here. Either way, she was beginning to think she would enjoy the rest of her stay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. First multi chapter fic on this site! I've had this idea for ages, so glad I got to write it out.  
> Medieval fact: there were no elastic hair ties at all.  
> For those who want to know the backstory of this world, basically, before Gyrus moved to Swords he lived in Amethyst Eye and went on adventures with Tori and Sylvia, much like season one. Then an incident with the Unseelie got him separated from his friends in the fey land, where he ran into Don and helped him reclaim his throne. He decided to stay in Swords and help Don with ruling his country, much to the disappointment of his friends back home. Those countries are still allies, but Tori, the Queen, and even Sylvia are all a little hurt. In Swords he becomes the edgy Gyrus we all know and love, and met all the room of swords characters and recruited them. As for the incident, that hasn't happened yet, but it will.  
> I have a half an idea that afterwards they try to use magic to reach Gyrus before the Unseelie got him all those years ago, and end up sending Kodya back in time. But I don't want to do time travel again, and I don't really have any idea where it goes from there. So don't hold your breath.


End file.
